Frequently Asked Questions

Local and Remote Login

Q: How do I locate my MyCloud device and how do I login?

Go to the web portal at http://myakitio.com, enter the 12 digits MAC address that is printed on the device and then login. It's not required to install any additional programs on the computer, setup the network router or register the device. This method of login works straight out of the box. At a later point, if you prefer a server name that is easier to remember, you can always register an additional device name (as long as the name is not already taken). For more information about the login, go to login.

Q: I'm currently using the MAC address to login. Can I change it to a different name?

The MAC address will always be the default login and it's not possible to change it but you can register a new name for your device that is easier to remember. For more details about how to register a new name, see Preferences > Portal Server.

Q: Why can I not register a new name for my media server?

It's possible that the name you have selected is already taken. Please type in a new name and then try again.

The name can only contain English letters and numbers. Special characters and spaces are not accepted.

Q: What ports are used for the remote connection?

When browsing the web page and registering the device, a standard HTTP connection on port 80 is used. For the login and file access, port 9000 and port 10080 are used. If port 10080 is in use, the system will try 10081, 10082, etc. until 10100. If port 10080 is open on both the network where the network drive (MyCloud) is connected as well as on the network where the computer is currently connected, the communication becomes direct peer to peer. If none of the 10080 ports work, port 9000 or in some cases port 1194 is used instead.

Make sure the ports 9000, 10080 and 1194 are not blocked on your network switch or router, otherwise the remote login will not work. If the login through the web portal fails, you may need to use the finder utility for Windows or the finder utility for Mac to find out the local IP address. You can then enter the local IP address directly into the URL field of your web browser to access the device.

Q: Why does the URL sometimes show the IP address and sometimes the MAC address or device name?

When you login from the same home network where the MyCloud is connected to, the URL will automatically change to the local IP address. When you login from outside and the automatic port mapping function is enabled or manual port forwarding is set up, the URL will change to the external IP address. In both cases, it means that you have a direct connection to your MyCloud. If the URL shows your MAC address or the device name (e.g. http://0001d21237a3.us1.myakitio.com/akitio/20121220/?lang=en-us), it means that the connection goes through the web portal and the system was unable to create a direct connection to your device.

If the URL shows your MAC address or the device name, the connection is not as fast as a direct connection, because all traffic is redirected through the web portal. If you have already set up port mapping or port forwarding and it used to work correctly in the past (e.g. before a restart of your network router), please go to Preferences > Portal Server and re-apply the settings. If necessary, change the port number for the port mapping function and then apply the new settings.

File Access and Playback

Q: How can I transfer more than one file at a time?

Uploading multiples files at once is not supported by all the current browsers but there are different ways to manage your files.

When using the upload function in the web interface and your web browser supports HTML 5 (e.g. Firefox 4 or Internet Explorer 10), select “Upload by HTML5” for the upload method and then simply drag and drop all of your files into the upload window. With Chrome, you can even drag and drop a folder including sub-folders onto the upload window.

On your home network, mount the network drive to your computer and then copy and paste or move the files like you would do for any of your local folders. If you are connected to the same local network as your MyCloud device, you can use Samba (e.g. \\servername\public). If you are not connected to the same network, you can use WebDAV (e.g. http://servername.myakitio.com/webdav). For more details, see File Management Overview.

Q: I've attached an external USB drive to the network drive. Where can I access the data?

Login as administrator, open the MyCloud file explorer and go to the DEVICES folder. The data of your USB drive will be inside this directory. If you don't see it and have only just connected the USB drive, wait a few more seconds and then click Refresh to scan for new devices. For more details, go to Support > How To Articles > How to access files on a USB drive.

Q: Why is the transfer rate for my USB drive so slow?

The file transfer rate when copying files back and forth between the network drive and the USB drive varies greatly, depending on how the files are transferred and where the USB drive is connected to. The best way to manage your data on the USB drive is, when the USB drive is attached to your computer and the network drive is mounted to that computer through Samba. For more details, please see File Management > USB Drives > USB Copy Benchmark.

Q: When I create new user accounts for my friends and family, do they all store their data in the same HOME directory?

Each user gets its own HOME directory for private files and has access to the shared PUBLIC directory. Unless you share the files in your own HOME directory with other users or store the files inside the PUBLIC directory, nobody else can see your private files.

Q: How can users share files among themselves?

There are several ways how you can share files. The easiest method is to simply store the files in the PUBLIC directory. For more information, please see File Management > File Sharing.

Q: How can I synchronize my data on the PC (Windows) with the network drive?

There is no built-in backup function on the network drive itself but you can install a 3rd party program on your computer and then synchronize the data with your network drive. On your home network, we recommend mapping the network drive using SMB and then use your preferred backup software or FreeFileSync as an example. For more information, please see File Management > SMB for PC users. If you are outside your home, we recommend setting up port forwarding for FTP and then use a backup program that supports FTP like SyncBackFree as an example to login to your FTP account and synchronize the data remotely.

Q: What browser plug-ins are required for the web interface?

In general, no additional plug-ins are required. The only time that plug-ins are used is for the media player, when you want to playback some video or music formats that are not supported by the built-in media player. The built-in media player (flash player) supports following file formats natively: *.mp3, *.flv and *.swf. For any other file formats, media playback is handled by the available plug-ins of the web browser (e.g. Quicktime for *.mov videos). Depending on the file format, you might have to install additional plug-ins such as QuickTime, Windows Media Player, Realplayer, Flash, VLC, etc.

Q: How can I upload an entire music collection at once?

In general, we recommend to mount the drive on your home network using Samba. You can then transfer as many files as you like and simply copy and paste them as you would with any other local drive. For more information about how to transfer files to the network drive, please see File Management > Overview and Comparison.

Q: Why can I play videos smoothly at home but not anywhere else?

When you access the files on the network drive at home, you are on the same local area network as your device. The network speed is only limited by your network switch or router and possibly the wireless connection. In general, the transfer speed is enough to guarantee smooth playback and it doesn't take long for the video to load. If you are on the road, you have to consider two important factors that do not come into play at home.

First, there is the download speed of your current connection. This part you are likely familiar with already, because it affects everything you do on the internet. The faster the connection, the faster you can load websites, download mail and stream files like those you access on the personal cloud server.

Second, and this is where your bottle neck most likely is to be found, is the upload speed of your internet connection at home. In order for you to access the files, the network drive at home has to serve the files by uploading them from your home network to the wide area network. Unless you are on an expensive business plan, your download speed is many times faster than your upload speed. What this means is that when you are at home and access websites on the world wide web, the download speed is fast or at least decent enough that it doesn't bother you. However, because the upload speed is much slower than that, it takes much longer for the network drive to upload the files when you are accessing them from the outside.

To get a better idea of the speed, use Google and search for “network speed test” or go to http://www.speedtest.net. Run the speed test when you are at home and select a server somewhere in the proximity of where you intend to access your personal cloud server from the outside. The results will only be for reference and it won't be exactly what you will get when accessing the device from the outside but it will show you clearly the difference between download and upload speed.

Last but not least, please keep in mind that network speed varies depending on the traffic. It might work much better during the day or at 3AM in the morning compared to 8PM when everybody else in the neighborhood comes home from work and goes online.

Q: Why is remote access so slow?

When you access the files on the network drive at home, you are on the same local area network as your device. The network speed is only limited by your network switch or router and possibly the wireless connection. If you are on the road, you have to consider several important factors that do not come into play at home.

First, there is the download speed of your current connection. The faster the connection, the faster you can load websites, download mail and stream files like those you access on the personal cloud server.

Second is the upload speed of your internet connection at home. In order for you to access the files, the personal cloud server at home has to serve the files by uploading them from your home network to the wide area network. Unless you are on an expensive business plan, your download speed is usually many times faster than your upload speed. What this means is that when you are at home and access websites on the world wide web, the download speed is fast enough that you don't have to wait long for pages to load. However, because the upload speed is much slower than that, it takes much longer for the personal cloud server to upload the files when you are accessing them from the outside (remotely).
To get a better idea of the speed, use Google and search for “network speed test” or go to http://www.speedtest.net. Run the speed test when you are at home and select a server somewhere in the proximity of where you intend to access your personal cloud server from the outside. The results will only be for reference and won't be exactly what you will get when accessing the device from the outside but it will show you clearly the difference between download and upload speed.

Additionally, the network environment and the connection can also make a big difference. As an example, a wireless connection or a 3G and LTE connection from your mobile device are not as stable, not as reliable and not as fast as a wired connection. Also, there could be interference or a busy network depending on the location and the time of the day. In other words, accessing the network drive from a computer with a wired connection will be faster and more stable compared to a mobile phone with the MyCloud App that only uses a wireless connection.

Last but not least, the speed also depends on your network setup. If your router supports UPnP and automatic port mapping is enabled, remote access is faster than without UPnP. For more information about port forwarding, see Portal Server and also Network Setup.

Q: Why can I not just double-click and play the files after the Downloader stored them on the network drive?

It depends on the file extension and the format if it's possible to just open and play the files in the browser. Many times, the downloaded file is a compressed ZIP or RAR archive. Archives have to be decompressed first, before the files can be viewed. Also, if the file format is not supported (e.g. RMVB), the media player will not be able to playback the file. In general, this is much like when you download a file to your computer. You need to decompress the archive first and then your computer needs to have the correct codec and player to playback the file. The same is true when using the Downloader and the Media Player on the network drive.

Q: When to use Samba and when to use WebDAV

When mounting the network drive on the local network area (LAN), SMB is the preferred protocol, allowing for faster and larger file transfers. When mounting the network drive on the wide area network (WAN), WebDAV has to be used instead. For more information about how to transfer files to the network drive, please see File Management > Overview and Comparison.

Compared to SMB, the WebDAV connection is slower and also limited when it comes to the file size, so even though it can be used on the LAN as well, we recommend using SMB whenever possible.

Mobile Apps

Q: Why does the iPhone app not show any video files in the video folder?

The MyCloud app for the iPhone utilizes the native media player to display the video files. If the video formats are not supported by the iPhone, it will be unable to display and playback the video files. Make sure your video files are in the *.mov or *.mp4 format.

Q: Why does it take so long to buffer a video before it can play it on my iPhone?

When streaming a video file, the time it takes to buffer will depend on the size and format of the video as well as the network connection. We recommend to make use of a fast network connection (for video streaming in general, a wired connection is always best) and compress the videos to reduce the loading time.

Q: Why can I not upload the photos from my album to the network drive?

The function to upload photos from your mobile device (e.g. iPhone or iPad) to the network drive works only if the app has location access. On your mobile device, go to Settings, select Location Services and enable it.

Miscellaneous

Q: Why do I get a pop-up window saying "The System is running without a HOME partition"?

The network drive requires one partition, preferably on an internal hard drive and not on an external USB drive, to be formatted using the XFS file system and mounted as HOME. In addition, the system also needs a SWAP partition if it runs out of memory. If you install a brand new hard drive, this partition does not yet exist, so the system alerts you to the fact that it needs a HOME partition to save all its system data and later also to save your media files and documents. For more information about formatting the drive, please see Applications > Disk Manager > Auto.

Q: Why does the disk manager say "Your system setup does not have a SWAP partition"?

When the system runs out of memory, it needs to store some temporary files on a SWAP partition. If you used the “Expert” mode instead of “Auto” or “Advanced”, the disk manager will not create this partition by itself and you will have to manually setup a SWAP partition. Create a primary partition and set the size to twice the size of the system memory (e.g. for a system with 128MB of memory, set the partition size to 256MB). Format the partition using the SWAP file system and then mount this partition, so that the system can use it.

Q: What happened to the iBackup service?

The iBackup service is no longer actively supported and has been removed with the firmware update 20121206. If you have previously enabled this service, you can still use it but please keep in mind that it only supports devices running iOS up to version 4.x and not above that anymore.

Q: What happened to the Browser application?

The Browser application is no longer supported and has been removed with the firmware update 20130517.

Q: How long does it take to setup the MyCloud?

If the MyCloud is purchased with HDD's installed, setup will normally take less than 45 seconds. However, set up times may be longer if HDD installation and formatting are required.

Q: What do I need to do after installing a new hard drive?

Before it's possible to store and share data, at least one drive has to be setup as your system drive. For more information about formatting the drive, please see Applications > Disk Manager > Auto.

Setting up a drive as your system drive will erase all existing partitions and data on that drive. If this is not a new or blank drive, make sure you have a backup of your data in a different location before you start the formatting process.

Q: Can I use an USB drive alone without installing an internal SATA drive?

We recommend to install at least one internal (SATA) hard drive but the system can also run with just an external USB drive. The disadvantage is that you need two power supplies (one for the MyCloud and one of the USB drive) and the setup of the drive (creating a partition and formatting the drive) has to be done manually, using the advanced menu of the MyCloud disk utility. For more details, see Support > How To Articles > How to setup an external USB drive as system drive. It is more convenient to install an internal SATA drive. Not only is the unit more compact and the power consumption is lower but to setup the drive, you can simply use the setup wizard (Auto) and let the system handle the rest.

Keep in mind that when setting up the drive for the MyCloud system, any existing data on the drive will be erased. This also applies for the USB drive, so make sure you backup your data in a different location first.

Q: How do I safely remove an external USB drive?

In order to safely remove a USB drive, you have to eject it first, before you disconnect the USB cable or turn off the power. Click on the disk icon in the taskbar to display all the drives that are currently connected to the system. Select your USB drive from the list and eject it.

Q: Why is the download service unable to start?

By default, the download service is using the HOME folder of the system administrator (admin) to store the files. However, if there is no drive installed yet or the partition has not yet been created, it's unable to start. Make sure your drive is installed properly, a partition has been created and the drive has been formatted for the network drive to use. For more details about setting up a drive, refer to Applications > Disk Manager > Auto.

Q: As an OEM/ODM customer, can we build our own web portal?

The short answer is YES. If you would prefer to build your own log in portal rather than using the portal at http://myakitio.com that we provide then you are more than welcome to do so. Please keep in mind that this is no easy task and the costs are extremely high. You must be absolutely committed to the personal cloud business to even consider such an endeavor.

Q: How do I configure my drives?

Q: What web browser should I use to access the web interface?

In general, the functions in the web interface work more or less the same across all web browsers. However, when it comes to uploading files, the best choice is currently Chrome, followed by Firefox. For all browsers, we recommend using the latest version.

Q: Why do I need a SWAP partition?

The system has limited memory space. When many applications run at a same time (e.g. many simultaneous BT downloads) the system needs to use the HDD space as an extension of the system memory, which is called SWAP memory. Typically, it is suggested to use 2 times of the physical memory space as the swap memory. By default, the system uses 256MB of physical memory, so we suggest to configure 512MB of SWAP memory.

Q: What is the root password?

We do not provide the root password for this system.

Q: Why is there no PDF manual?

Each product includes a printed setup guide, helping you to setup and familiarize yourself with the hardware but you can also find a more detailed setup guide on this Wiki. For the software, all information can be found on this Wiki. There is no PDF manual because the software is often updated and both features and functions may change with each update. A PDF manual would be quickly outdated and the information would no longer match the current product. The Wiki on the other hand will always be kept up to date and you can access it any time you need to. If you like to read some of the information offline, please select the “export: pdf” tab on the top of the Wiki to save the current page to your computer.

Q: How can I download the entire Wiki?

To download the entire Wiki for offline viewing, we have prepared an eBook for iPad, Nook, Sony Reader, and others. To open and read this document on your computer, we recommend using Calibre. You can download a free copy of this software at http://calibre-ebook.com/.ePub format

Q: How to use and setup system notifications?

The system sends email notifications when the available hard drive capacity goes below 5%, when the temperature exceeds 75 degrees Celsius and when there is an issue with the hard drives. Following are a couple of examples how to set the SMTP server with free email accounts:

Yahoo Mail: smtp.mail.yahoo.com (port 25, no SSL)

Yahoo Mail: smtp.mail.yahoo.com (port 465, enable SSL)

Google Mail: smtp.gmail.com (port 465, enable SSL)

Microsoft's free e-mail service is using TLS encryption, which is not supported by this system. Please choose another e-mail service with SSL encryption or no encryption instead.

Q: How do I reset the device?

To reset the configurations (e.g. admin password, DHCP settings, preferences, etc.), make sure the power is ON and the system is running. Press and hold the Reset button for 12 seconds and then release it. If you want to start fresh, open the disk manager, select Auto and run the setup wizard. This will erase all existing data on your drive(s), so make sure you have a backup of your data in a different location first!

When resetting the device (not formatting), user accounts are removed but any data the user has previously stored on the network drive is still stored on the device. Create the same user account once more and the user can access the data again.